Head for dolls



INVENTOR JH/v R. GAMMfTEl? ATTORNEYS J R GAMMETER HEAD FOR DOLLS Flled July 5 1932 Oct. 29, 1935.

Patented Oct. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEAD FOR DOLLS York Application July 5, 1932, Serial No. 620,747

7 Claims.

This invention relates to heads for dolls, and more especially it relates to dolls heads having movable, sleeping eyes.

The invention is of primary utility in doll heads made of resilient material, such as molded rubber composition, in that it permits flexure of the head between the eyes without impairlng or straining the eye-operating mechanism, yet provides sympathetic movement of the two eyeballs.

The chief objects of the invention are to provide a doll head having sleeping eyes wherein there is relatively independent but sympathetic movement of the eyeballs; and to provide a doll head of the sleeping eye type that permits exure of the head between the eyes. Other objects will be manifest.

Of the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a section, in two different vertical planes, of a doll head in upright position and embodying the invention in its preferred form; and

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, IU is a dolls head that is made of resilient material such as vulcanized rubber composition. rI'he head I0 is formed with the usual eye openings II which may be of almond shape, and back of each eye opening is a cylindrical socket l2 formed by a circular wall I3 that is integral with the structure of the head and circumscribes said eye opening. Mounted in each socket I2 is a tubular, metal thimble I4, the forward end of which is formed with an inwardly turned flange I5 that is disposed immediately behind the structure of the head that surrounds the eye opening II, to reinforce the same. The flange I5 is tapered or beveled toward its free margin so as to permit an eyeball I'I to be positioned close to the opening Ii. The thimble may be cemented in place in the socket I2, or it may have a force t therein and be held in place by the tension of the rubber wall I3.

The eyeballs I'I are pivotally mounted upon respective pivot rods I8, the latter extending transversely of the respective thimbles I4, parallel to the long axis of the eye openings II. The pivot rods I8 extend through suitable aper- 'fures in opposite side walls of the respective thimbles, and are retained therein by the walls of the sockets I2 when the thimbles are mounted in the latter. Preferably the thimble-wall about said apertures is slightly recessed as shown at I9, I9 so that the ends of the pivot rods do not project beyond the outside diameter of the thimbles.

The eyeballs I'I may be made of any suitable material such as metal or porcelain, and on the front thereof are decorated in the usual manner 5 to represent the iris of the eye and a flesh colored lid portion, the latter being visible through the openings II when the eyeball is in the sleeping position indicated in broken lines in Figure 1.

In order to cause the eyeballs to move angularly 10 on their pivot rods I8 when the head is tilted, there is provided a counterweight 20 that is mounted upon a resilient U-shaped member 22 that has its end portions secured in the respective eyeballs II, at the rear thereof, said resilient member preferably consisting of a helically coiled spring as shown. Interiorly of the head structure Ill, at the chin thereof, is formed a projecting abutment 23 that is so positioned as to be engaged by the counterweight 20 when the head II) is in upright position, whereby the open position of the eyeballs is accurately determined.

Being -eXible, the resilient connection 22 between the eyeballs permits limited independent relative movement of the latter, which movement, however, will be more or less sympathetic because of said connection. Because there are no rigid connections between the eyes of the doll, the eye structure is especially applicable to doll heads made of iiexible material such as rubber, since there Will be no straining or permanent distortion of the eye structure due to flexing or bending of the head.

Modification may be resorted vto within the scope of the appended claims which are not 35 limited wholly to the specific construction shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. A head for dolls comprising a pair of eyeballs independently journaled therein, and a helically wound spring having its end portions connected to the respective eyeballs.

2. A head for dolls comprising a' pair of eyeballs independently journaled therein, a generally U-shaped helically Wound spring having its end portions mounted in the respective eyeballs, and a counterweight mounted on said spring between the ends thereof.

3. A doll head consisting of flexible material formed with eye openings, a circular wall circumscribing each eye opening interiorly of the head and defining a socket, a tubular metal thimble seated in each socket, each thimble being formed with an inturned end-flange disposed behind the flexible material adjacent the eye, to u reinforce saldrmaterial, pivot rods supported at their ends in opposite walls of said thimbles, eyeballs journaled on said pivot rods, and a counter- Weight connected to each oi.' said eyeballs.

4. A combination as dened in claim 3 in which n casing at each eye opening, and individual rigid socket members retained by the casings, said socket members pivotally supporting individual eye members mounted for relatively independent but simultaneous operation. Y

7. A flexible Vdoll head formed with a pair of Y eye openings and an inwardly projecting integral casing at each eye opening, and individual rigid socket members retained by the casings, each sock-et member having an eye member pivotally 10 mounted for movement therein, a flexible member for connecting said eye members to each other and gravity operated means for controlling movement of said eye members.

JOHN R. GAMMETER. 15 

